Thunder
by RegalChipmunk93
Summary: Alexia Craven is blind. She's also Olivia Benson's newest victim. Why do these two have such a pull toward each other? A possible shipfic with my original character, Alexia Craven. Inspired by Imagine Dragons 'Thunder'
1. Chapter 1

Alexia's POV

I am startled awake by a rustle in the bushes. I am sore. Everything is foggy, fuzzy. I can't see, but the air tells me that I am in a wooded area. The smells of the forest, damp with dew and sound of the night are all around me. The last thing I remember feeling was the silk of my sheets as I went to bed. I reach for my wrist, feeling for my watch only to find my wrist bare. My heart speeds up, I never take it off. It has aided me for years, specially designed to tell me the time and my location should I ask for it because I am a sleepwalker. I hear the rustle that startled me again, it is a footstep. Something, or someone is coming. I know that I am panicking but I try to stay as quiet as possible I have no idea what to do. As they get closer I can hear two sets of steps, distinctly different to my sensitive ears, and then I hear the whispering voices. A woman and a man. The grass against my back a focus to help me calm down.

"Hello?" I shout. "Can someone help me please?" I call out, the steps speed up and are getting closer when the female voice shouts out to me.

"Where are you at?" She calls, I debate on what to say she could be the reason that I am out here, but then again she may be here to help me. "My name is Lieutenant Olivia Benson, and I just want to help, can you give me anything about your surroundings?" She calls out again from my left side.

"You are to my left, I have no idea how far, I am blind so I can't give you any visuals. I assume that I am in a clearing but I haven't moved I am laying down." I shout back, there is a pause in the movements and then running. "My name is Alexia Craven I have no Idea how I got here, or how long I have been here." I say in a slightly softer voice because they are getting closer.

"Alexia, you've been gone for three days, your niece called us worried about you when you weren't at lunch on Monday." Olivia stated. I hear her breathing now, she must be very close now finally I hear a gasp. "I can see you honey, don't move but I am going to put my jacket over you." She says gently. I nod letting her know that it is okay. I feel the fabric touch my body, too much of my body. I must be naked, and while that thought is disturbing I cant bring myself to care because I am suddenly cold and shivering as a warm hand grabs mine. "Fin, call a bus, she's going into shock." I hear her voice right beside me as a rustle indicates that she is sitting on the ground to stay with me.

"Already on it's way Liv, we have to get her out of here and to the parking lot though. They cant get their equipment back this far." The man, Fin, stated gently. I hear a small sigh from Olivia as she thinks. At least I hope she is thinking. I can tell that I won't be able to walk far because I am weak. Lack of food and water over the apparent three days that I have been missing taking its toll. I am also becoming aware of the aches and pains.

"What happened to me?" I ask looking toward where I think lieutenant Benson is. She pats my hand before taking a deep breath. "Please, I don't remember anything, I am so sore and tired." I barely choke out as I realize that this is not a result of a sleep walking journey.

"Sweetie, you were taken from your house. We ruled out that you didn't sleep walk after your niece, Cyla, told us that you never take it off for that reason. Shortly after that we got a letter telling us you were here in the forest. The man who did this said you were dead, we are going to need to move you out of here so that you can be treated. Can you sit up?" I nod before trying to sit up, realizing that it will be more difficult than I thought.

"Lieutenant, can you help me up please?" I hate asking for help, but I know that I need it. I am lost, and quite frankly my lack of sight can be dangerous in unfamiliar areas. I feel her wrap an arm around me to help me sit up.

"Whoa, they tell me that the world spins when you are dizzy, I think this is worse." I mumble at the feeling of being off balance even though I know that I am barely sitting up, leaned against the lieutenant's strong body. I feel her body move, and I can only assume that she is silently chuckling.

Olivia's POV

I wonder how Alexia isn't completely hysterical. She is blind, that is evidenced by the startling blue eyes that have no focus. She is struggling, not remembering what happened. I put my arm around her to help her sit up. She is so very small, maybe five foot tall with beautiful brown hair and I'll eat my badge if she weighs more than one hundred and fifteen pounds. She is naked, scraped and her left leg is swollen severely. I doubt that she has noticed. She leans heavily against me her head lopping around as if she is dizzy as I put my NYPD jacket on her and zip it up so that she is covered better. I marvel at how she swims in the material.

When she mentions dizziness I silently chuckle, trying in vain to not jostle her too much. "Sweetie, I am going to pick you up and carry you-" is all I get out before her unseeing eyes turn in my direction, her jaw tensing in defiance. Alexia Craven is certainly going to be a spitfire.

"I want to walk lieutenant." She says. I smile at her knowing that while she can't see, she will most likely feel it in some way.

"Honey, I think your left leg is broken, it is very swollen and I am pretty sure you wont be able to walk on it." I state as her eyes widen.

"So, it isn't just sprained then. It doesn't really hurt that bad, are you sure it is broken?" She asks. I lean around her to gently prod her leg, but she yelps as she attempts to move it on her own. Her face going a sickly gray and beads of sweat breaking along her hairline. I help her lean over as she throws up nothing but stomach acid and finishes with dry heaves.

"You're okay honey, when you are done I'm going to pick you up so that we can get you out of here and checked out." I say as I rub her back trying to comfort her. She nods after she is done wiping her mouth with her hand before leaning back against me again. I look to Fin who is standing over me a look of concern on his face at Alexia's condition. I nod to him, signaling that it is time for me to get up and to help me situate Alexia in my arms as gently as possible for the two mile long trek back to the parking lot.

"Alexia, I'm going to move now and Fin here, He's going to help me situate you so that I can carry you out, okay honey?" I tell her gently, not that she has a choice about it, there is no way that she can walk the two miles to the bus. She weakly nods as I gently move out from under her. Fin kneels down beside her and pauses before looking to me as I move away to find a stick, looking confused.

"Uh Liv?" He questions as I find as straight of a stick as I can. I look back to him and smile.

"I need to make a splint that'll hold until we get to the bus and they can do a proper one Fin. If we move her without it we could cause more damage." I say as I bring a satisfactory stick over after breaking it in two and I begin taking off my belt. "I need your belt too Fin." I mutter as I clip my badge to my pants along with my Glock, and stuff my cuffs into my pocket. Fin just nods.

"Alexia, I'm going to lay you back down so that I can help Liv splint your leg okay?" Fin says as he gently lays her back down. Alexia just nods as Fin begins taking his belt off while I place the sticks along the outside and inside of her left knee to keep her leg straight while we mover her. Fin hands me his belt before reaching for Alexia's hand which she grabs and squeezes.

"I'm going to be as gentle as possible, but this is going to hurt honey, I'm sorry." I say as she bites her lip in pain and grunts. I only lift her leg enough to shove the belts under her leg, one under her thigh, and another under her calf. I secure them quickly before nodding at Fin as we both sit her up again slowly. Another layer of sweat has broken along her hairline and I know that this with be a painful and exhausting two miles for her. I gently shake my arms out in preparation for carrying her out.

"Liv, let me help you carry her. It's two miles." Fin looks at me. I shake my head at him. He has a bad knee which has affected his walking lately.

"Fin, your knee has been causing you to limp the last week, I don't want to have to carry both of you out of here because your male pride wont let the physically fit one carry Alexia out. I can do this. If I get tired you can carry her for a bit." I say. Alexia smiles a little bit.

"Yes, Fin, I would rather not be dropped. Let lieutenant Benson carry me out please." Alexia remarks. Fin looks down and smiles.

"Okay baby girl, I know you got this, just thought I'd offer. Alexia, I am going to help you up though." He kneels down again and helps her up to one foot slowly. I come over to her left side and cradle her against me. I want the injured leg toward me so that I have less of a chance to smack it on something and cause her undue pain. I shift her so that we are both as comfortable as possible before smiling at Fin and heading off.

**************%****************

Olivia POV

I still can't believe how small my precious cargo is as I carry her over fallen trees and through a couple running creeks because the trees that Fin and I used to walk over on our search aren't safe for me to use while carrying her out. I know that we are almost to the bus, I can see the flashing lights now as I come up the last hill Fin running ahead to make sure they bring the stretcher to the right area.

Alexia lost consciousness a few minutes ago, but she has a pulse, and I can feel her even breathing on my neck. Her breath sends pleasurable shivers down my spine. The medics rush over as I come into the lot. I lay Alexia on the stretcher and step back, shaking my arms out before I am also shoved on a stretcher.

"I'm fine!" I yell. My concern is getting Alexia to the hospital not myself. The medic tending to me pushes my shoulder firmly down.

"You walked through water more than once, you pants are soaked from the knee down, to give you perspective Lieutenant, it is twenty-eight degrees out here and you also have no jacket or coat on. Your lips are turning blue and I want to get you in a bus and wrapped in a blanket with out your wet things on to be monitored." She calmly said.

"I will be fine, I promise." I tell her, even though I am really tired. All of a sudden I can't keep my eyes open. Who knew carrying a person out of the woods in below freezing temperatures could be so tiring.

"Jacob, let's get her loaded up!" I hear the medic who chewed me out shout to her driver.

"You got it Teresa." I hear yelled back before the world becomes black.


	2. Chapter 2

I notice how warm I am before I feel the pain and hear the beeping and the smells of a hospital. I remember Teresa reminding me that I had waded through freezing waters in below freezing temperatures and then blackness. I try to stretch, only to notice that there is someone curled up against me. A naked me. They aren't small enough to be Noah.

I start to panic. I have no significant other, there shouldn't be anyone in the bed with me. Whoever it is shifts before wrapping an arm around me.

"Stop panicking Liv, it's just me." I hear Amanda mumble as she tries to get comfortable again.

"Why are you in my bed? Who is with Alexia Craven? And why the hell are we naked?" I squeak out as Amanda sits up carefully keeping blankets covering us both.

"You were hypothermic. They did a blanket for a while but you just weren't warming up fast enough. They stripped you and asked for a volunteer. Naturally the boys decided you'd be more comfortable with me so here I am. Fin should be sitting outside Alexia's room. That woman is stubborn she's refusing all but the most basic care until she sees that you are okay." Amanda laughs softly as she hits a button. We sit in silence until there is a soft knock on the door and a nurse enters with a smile on her face.

"Good morning Ms. Benson I'm glad to see that you are awake. For more than one reason, Ms. Craven won't let us do anything until she knows that you are going to be fine. She is very stubborn." I nodded as the nurse looked annoyed. I wrapped the blankets around me and sat up before sliding off the bed doing my best to keep covered. I didn't stay standing long as my legs gave out and Amanda's arms abandoned her blankets and caught me before I hit the floor entirely.

I could feel the heat in my cheeks as Amanda lifted me back into the bed. I looked away from her mostly naked body. I noticed that she had been allowed to keep her underwear on. I was a little jealous that she was still somewhat covered. I peeked into the blankets surrounding me and noticed that I was in nothing but the blankets. I flushed red thinking about the person who must have undressed me. My body is full of scars from Lewis, and many years on the job. "Sorry Rollins, you startled me, I don't usually share a bed in any capacity unless Noah has a nightmare. And then I am always clothed fully in pajamas." I said.

"You needed the body heat Liv, you looked like a smurf, at least now you have some color back. You are allowed to put a gown on now though since you've woken up." Amanda says as she hands me a paper thin hospital gown that ties in the back.

"Miss Rollins was very helpful, insisted that she undress you. Something about being very modest, I see she was right." The nurse smiled as she checked all the monitors hooked up to me.

"Yeah, I guess I'm conscious of all the scarring from twenty plus years on the job. Not that I have anyone to impress other than my son." I chuckled nervously.

"I can assure you lieutenant, that he need not be impressed to terribly. My six year old and four year old think I'm a superhero. How old is your son?" She asked as she began taking my vitals again.

"He's five, almost six now, and tells me everyday that he wants to stop bad people like I do. Honestly that scares the crap out of me every time he says it. Now I know how my mother felt when I told her I was going into law enforcement." I said as she finished up taking my vitals.

"your temperature is still a little low but nothing dangerous right now, so you can stay under the warm blankets and transport you to Miss Craven's room so that she can hear for herself that you are fine, then I can treat her leg and hypothermia beyond blankets." The nurse said cheerfully.

She and Rollins helped me into a chair and wrapped me with fresh warm blankets before wheeling me three rooms down and I was shocked. Alexia was sitting up still wrapped in my jacket head cocked to the side slightly as she heard us wheel in.

"That had better be Lieutenant Benson in the wheel chair if you want to treat me any further Nurse Gibbs." The smaller woman smiled.

"Miss Craven I assure you she is the only patient that I would bring to your room unannounced." Nurse Gibbs shook her head and smiled as she wheeled me to within touching distance of Alexia Craven and locked the wheels on the chair.

"How are you doing Miss Craven, I hear you've been giving Nurse Gibbs some problems. You have to be treated honey, don't stop that on my account I am fine, I was just a little cold." I told her as her head whipped around to stare me down with unseeing eyes.

"A little cold huh, why did your heart rate drop dramatically, sounds like you were a little more than just a 'little cold' Lieutenant." She snorted. I felt like I was being reprimanded. "On the upside, I am actually starting to feel the pain again so they can work on my leg now, especially since I know that you are okay now." She said as she was helped to lay down by Nurse Gibbs who began talking her through everything she was doing. I unlocked the wheel and backed myself up from the bed and watched them work their magic as a button was pressed and the doctor entered to begin her work.


End file.
